The Notoriously malicious download.cnet.com (Why I hate download.cnet.com)

[Satchman]

Greetings WOT Community,

A few years ago, I commented about the problems with Cnet's download site installing malware wrappers in their downloads since they were purchased by CBS. When I added this information to the thread for the new WOT Management Team, Super Hero, thought it would be a cool idea to start a new thread and I thought that was the new WOT Policy. Therefore I did exactly that.

Shazza has requested that I create the new post in the already existing thread and notified me that My WOT had to hide my new updated thread. I have been allowed to add the post here. I don't want to violate any WOT policies or guidelines, but I am very concerned about Cnet's download section of their site, not being trustworthy. Here are my requests below:

Once upon a time, Cnet was a safe site from which to download software from about 2008-2011. In 2011, CBS bought CNet and in order to generate revenue, started creating toolbars and malware wrappers embedded in their downloads. There are a variety of Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPS) as well.

This is the site in question:

hxxp://download.cnet.com/windows/

I would request a virtualization test for malware and PUP downloads at Cnet, and to please submit an updated review and comment. The comments scorecard for Cnet reviews prior to 2011 are now meaningless because they do not reflect the current safety of the site.

Additionally please review the download..com My WOT scorecard by selecting the date field in descending order. You will see tons of "This Website is Suspicious" and "I Don't Trust" reviews in this regard. Here is the Cnet download scorecard:

https://www.mywot.com/scorecard/download.cnet.com?utm_source=addon&ut...

There is no way that this site deserves a Green WOT rating. For reference, I have assigned a Yellow rating to Cnet's main page, and a Red rating to Cnet's download section.

Let's work together to get a more suitable rating for the site. I agree that because websites change that all the ratings prior to 2011 should be purged from the My WOT scorecard as they are no longer relevant to the Trustworthiness of Cnet.

Please PM Shazza if you have any questions or issues with this post being in this section. All I am looking for is requesting that the WOT Community can come together, rate the Cnet Download site, and give it the Yellow or lower rating that it deserves, because the green rating is no longer appropriate for that site.

Satch

[Satchman]

Dear WOT,

Looking for a community re-evaluation for Cnet. Requesting a virtualization test of popular downloads at Cnet.com and would like to see the rating become a composite of at least Yellow. Even more important, have their been any efforts to clean up the PUPS and malware in Cnet's Downloads? What new information is available about the safety of Cnet? Please rate down the site, if PUPS or malware are still a problem.

Regards,

Satch

[warmax]

ppl still use cnet... i tend to avoid it these days and try to connect to direct suppliers servers or github, i only download from them when i have to get an update for iobit products...

[Apollo702]

<quote user="warmax">
ppl still use cnet... i tend to avoid it these days and try to connect to direct suppliers servers or github, i only download from them when i have to get an update for iobit products...
[/quote]

I would suggest doing a search in here for "Iobit" and decide for yourself what you think is best.

Good luck!

[bahusugacl]

I have accidentally downloaded so many things from this website! It's like everything you click is a download and slows down your computer! Grrrrr.

[Satchman]

<quote user="bahusugacl">
I have accidentally downloaded so many things from this website! It's like everything you click is a download and slows down your computer! Grrrrr. to
[/quote]

Agreed,

Cnet can no longer be trusted because it's downloads still contain PUPS (Potentially Unwanted Programs.) I would encourage the My WOT Community members to please rate down the Trustworthiness of Cnet to a minimum of Yellow. Several people who have left negative comments, which do not reflect ratings, have failed to negatively rate the site with the color bars. The WOT Community needs to give anywhere from a Suspicious (Yellow) to Poor (Red or Black) rating to Cnet, to bring the WOT color composite down from it's ridiculously inaccurate green rating!

The green WOT rating for Cnet is confusing and deceptive, because it reflects poorly on the usefulness of WOT at that site, and with Cnet's current Green rating, community members may think it is safe to visit Cnet when it clearly is not.

Satch

[WOTRocks223]

Agreed. Added a comment to my rating. The fact that Cnet refuses to do anything about malware-infested products is immensely suspicious.

[Satchman]

<quote user="wotrocks223">
Agreed. Added a comment to my rating. The fact that Cnet refuses to do anything about malware-infested products is immensely suspicious.
[/quote]

Agreed,

I find that most sites have accurate My Wot ratings. However, it seems that Cnet relies too much on past data when it used to be a good site, prior to the CBS acquisition of them around 2008. I feel that all the ratings prior to 2008 for Cnet.com AND Download.com should be purged from the My WOT system. This is because the ratings, prior to 2008, do not reflect the suspiciousness of Cnet.com as it is now. WOT ratings are supposed to be reflective of a site's Trustworthiness in real time.

Note that Cnet's and it's sister site, Download.com's ratings reflect when the site used to be good, at least ten years ago. The WOT Community members simply cannot trust MY WOT at Cnet.com or download.com because of the PUPS contained within almost all of its downloads. I want to thank any and all community members who are helping to rate down Cnet.com. Maybe, just maybe, if enough people give Cnet.com the Yellow or Red rating that it deserves, the color composite will dip to Yellow. At minimal, this is what I would like to see as a rating for this site.

Satch

[WOTRocks223]

The fact that cnet.com is not doing anything about all those malicious downloads makes me have a gut feeling that someone is manipulating Cnet into becoming extremely malware-friendly. Usually, malware downloads are rare in Cnet. Now, they are engulfing Cnet like a full-blown flash flood.

[Yogaas]

Ненавижу рекламное ПО. Никогда не буду использовать CNET. Есть и другие, лучшие варианты!